Even great things have to end sometime.
Unfortunately for the Women's soccer team, that time was last Friday afternoon, when the Jumbos' record-setting season ended at the hands of No. 2 The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in the NCAA Div. III National Semifinals in Greensboro, N.C.
The Lions, who came into the Final Four as one of two undefeated teams, struck twice early in the game en route to a 3-0 defeat of Tufts, placing them in Saturday's National Championship game. TCNJ's undefeated season was spoiled in the Finals by Messiah College, who defeated the Lions to take home the National Title.
"We didn't quit throughout the entire game, we fought to the very end, even when it was 3-0 and we knew the season was going to end, we didn't quit," senior tri-captain Sarah Callaghan said. "They were a good team. They put away their chances and we didn't. But we ended the season with pride, which was awesome."
While the Jumbos undoubtedly were in tears after the season-ending (and career-ending for four Tufts seniors) loss, the silver lining lies in the fact that the team advanced farther in the tournament than all but one squad in the school's history and accomplished some never-before-seen feats throughout the season.
"Especially for the seniors, it's more that it's over, not that we lost or how we lost," Callaghan said. "We know we had an amazing season and we wanted to win, but we're extremely happy with how we played."
On Friday, Tufts got off to a quick start, creating several opportunities up the middle for senior tri-captain Ariel Samuelson and the rest of the offensive unit. TCNJ's phenomenally stingy defense, which gave up just three goals in 22 games this season, held its ground, however, and prevented the Jumbos from tallying an early score.
"You never actually know, but I think that if we had put away any of our early chances, we could have kept our early momentum and things would have been different," Callaghan said.
The Lions countered Tufts' pressure with some aggression of their own, led by sophomore leading scorer Dana DiBruno and freshman Jamie Kunkel. DiBruno put her team on the board first in the 12th minute. After her initial shot was saved by Tufts junior keeper Annie Ross, the sophomore gained possession of the rebound and tore a shot past Ross to put TCNJ up 1-0.
"After playing really well early and then having them immediately come and score a goal, it threw us off. The score was not indicative of the way we played," Callaghan said.
Just under two minutes later, the same pair hooked up for the Lions' second goal of the first half. DiBruno controlled the ball on the flank and sent a cross into the box where Kunkel was waiting. The freshman controlled the ball and drove it past Ross for the 2-0 lead.
"DiBruno was very talented," senior tri-captain Lindsay Garmirian said. "But we just focused on what we could control and played our own defensive style. We play a zone defense, so it's not like we were going to put a specific person on her."
The Jumbos, to their credit, continued to fight intensely to get a goal back before the half. Tufts had its best opportunity just before the break when senior Lydia Claudio ripped a free kick just high of the crossbar.
The second half saw much of the same action as the first, as Tufts created sporadic opportunities around the Lion net, but was unable to sneak anything by TCNJ keeper Alissa Kacar. In the 65th minute, Callaghan had one of Tufts' better opportunities but was unable to convert.
"At the start of the second half we were awesome," Callaghan said. "We came out really strong. Unfortunately we just couldn't convert."
Just two minutes later, the Lions were awarded a penalty kick after being fouled in the box. Lion Courtney Krol ripped a shot off the goalpost, denying TCNJ a third goal and breathing some new life into the Jumbos.
Unfortunately, Tufts was unable to capitalize on the shift in momentum, and the duo of Kunkel and DiBruno added an insurance goal just five minutes later. Kunkel sent a cross into the box where DiBruno was waiting to knock it into the net past Ross. The goal gave DiBruno 48 points on the season, giving her the single-season TCNJ school record.
The trip to the Final Four was just the second in Tufts history, the first coming in 2000 when the Jumbos made it all the way to the Championship game, falling to TCNJ 3-1. Tufts finished its season at 15-4-2 in a tie for third place in Div. III with the University of Chicago.
"This experience was something I'll remember for the rest of my life. It was an amazing weekend put on by the NCAA," Garmirian said. "It was nice to spend another week with a team that I love."
